A gangster who set up a massive cannabis factory made more than £500,000 from his life of crime, a court heard.

Keith Gartshore, 43, pocketed a total of £503,678.58 from his involvement in the drugs trade, the High Court in Edinburgh heard.

But Gartshore, of Riddrie, Glasgow, only has £55,480 of assets available at this point in time.

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The story emerged at a hearing on Monday brought by prosecutors using proceeds of crime legislation.

Judge David Young KC passed an order at the end of the hearing which compels Gartshore to hand over the £55,480 figure.

Gartshore, 42, and his two accomplices Ross Blackshaw, 37, and Christopher Robb, 35, were held in early 2020 after police became aware of their illegal activities.

The High Court in Glasgow heard how industrial units in Swanston Street in the city’s Dalmarnock area had been converted for the sophisticated drug-making operation.

Police seized around £500,000 of cannabis as well as almost £100,000 of dirty money.

Gartshore, of the city's Riddrie, was sentenced to nine years and three months for his role in the scam.

Prosecutor Alan Cameron earlier told the how the trio were part of a "large scale cannabis cultivation" at several connected industrial units.

He added: "Gartshore, along with others, was involved from May 17 2019 in the setting up of the units."

This initially included sourcing equipment and creating growing areas for cannabis plants.

Mr Cameron: "Over the subsequent months, he visited them obtaining necessary materials such as compost and taking cannabis away to sell."

On December 30 2019, police clocked him drive a van into a car park in East Kilbride.

He handed over a bag to another person in a car - this was later found to contain £53,555 of drug money.

A month later, Gartshore was held by officers. He had a key for one of the units as well as £38,000 of cannabis.

Blackshaw was stopped the same night after police spotted him leaving Gartshore's home.

Blackshaw dropped a laundry bag holding £15,200 of cannabis.

Police also seized £22,000 of high-purity cocaine as well as £66, 580 of Ecstasy tablets with another £6,000 of cannabis found in the property.

Detectives then raided the drug factory on February 1 2020.

Mr Cameron said a total of 873 plants were found in the units, which had dozens of lights and fans rigged up.

The prosecutor: "The set up was a professional one.”

The value of the cannabis seized there was more than £450,000 But, Mr Cameron added: "If (all) the recovered drugs were broken down into small quantities and/or further adulterated, the maximum potential values of each would have been higher."

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Robb was later caught with £41,685 of drug money in Cambuslang, on April 8 2020.

On Monday, prosecutor Dan Byrne and Gartshore’s lawyer Allan Macleod told the court that they had come to an agreement about the accused’s finances.

The order passed allows the Crown to return to court to seize more of Gartshore’s assets if it becomes aware of him having hidden ill gotten gains.

A proceeds of crime action against Gartshore’s co-accused Robb, who is serving a six year nine month long sentence, was continued to the end of this month.